News July 2016

Latest news from across Avon and

“I can’t put it into words exactly how devastating it is to not have her here anymore.” Last year, 436 people were convicted for drink-drive related offences, with the actions of one of those people changing another family’s lives forever. Read more and find out about the launch of our new road safety campaign at www.seeme.org.uk

Are you one of the millions that have watched clever police pup PD Monty and dog handler PC Steve Hopwood take on the #22PushUpChallenge? In this now viral video campaign, the pair are seen doing push ups together in a bid to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder and highlight rates of suicide amongst men. 30% of police time is estimated to be spent dealing with issues around mental ill health, so we’re backing the campaign to raise awareness and help those affected. Follow us on Facebook for more videos and updates - just search for .

You may be aware from recent news reports that since the EU referendum, police forces across the country have recorded a rise in the number of people reporting incidents of hate crime. In Avon and Somerset, Chief Constable Andy Marsh and Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens have written an open letter to all communities outlining our ongoing commitment to tackling any form of hate crime and reinforce our message that we value the rich, multi-cultural diversity of the places we all live and work. In March we launched a campaign to encourage anyone who has witnessed or been victim to a hate crime to contact someone to report it. For more information visit our website. Further advice about reporting a hate crime is also available at www.report-it.org.uk.

What’s happening in your area

You might have already seen in the media, that we people have been charged and all but one, who is have been proactively tackling drug dealing issues attending Youth Court in August, have been to court. across Somerset. 30 of those people have been remanded to prison having pleaded guilty to a variety of drug supply Most recently we ran three days of action across the offences. county and made a total of 67 arrests following 38 search warrants, 11 of which were in and The remaining 28 people will be in court next month. Chard. Significant amount of drugs, cash and We will keep you updated with progress and the weapons were seized and at the time of writing, 39 outcome of the various court hearings.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary Working together to make the communities of Avon and Somerset be safe and feel safe www.avonandsomerset.police.uk

We were aiming to dismantle both locally based and found to problem-solve the cause and deal with the out of area networks and as result we have issue properly long-term. We will keep you up-to-date significantly disrupted drugs supply in South with any significant progress and activities. Somerset. We will continue to work with our partners to deal with the problem and protect vulnerable Last year Somerset suffered extensive livestock people in the area. thefts, predominantly sheep and lambs. This year we were delighted that there were only minimal thefts If you have information about suspected drug crime throughout the spring and early part of the summer, or you are suffering from related anti-social however in the last two weeks of July we have seen an behaviour, then please either call us or Crimestoppers increase, with approximately 430 sheep stolen in five on 0800 555 111. separate incidents across the county including , and . We know In June, we were granted a Closure Order for a these thefts have a huge impact on the livelihoods of property on Mary Street, Yeovil after incidents of the individual farmers and are asking the communities drug dealing and anti-social behaviour. of Somerset to be vigilant. If you see anyone moving Magistrates Court granted the Order following an livestock at night, please give us a call. For advice on application by the local Beat Team in which we protecting livestock and farm equipment, please visit evidenced over six months of criminality and anti- our website. social behaviour linked to drug dealing. The property has been boarded up for three months and anyone Get involved entering the property, including the owner, could face arrest, prison or an unlimited fine. The tenant has We are encouraging children to help with community been evicted. safety and security this summer by making sure their house numbers are visible from the road, so they can Coupled with the recent days of action, we hope the easily be seen by emergency services. We are Closure Order gives residents some comfort and encouraging children to paint or make bright numbers reassurance. You don’t have to suffer ASB and drug or house name plaques which are easily spotted from crime, by working together – police, public and the road, and perhaps help elderly or vulnerable partners, we can do something about it. So please neighbours by doing the same for them. keep talking to us. If you have information about suspected drug crime or you are suffering from We are also encouraging them to visit our website and related anti-social behaviour, then please either call learn some of our top home security tips to ensure us or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. that parents, carers and neighbours are keeping their We have recently launched “The Chard One Team. houses secure over the summer and whilst they are This is a multi-agency team, who meet once a week, away on holiday. to share information and find sustainable solutions to problem-solve issues in Chard. It is based on a model Let us know what you think about our first we have used in other parts of Avon and Somerset, edition of Police News – give your feedback at and has proven very successful. We regularly find that www.surveymonkey.com/r/policenews one agency e.g. Environmental Health, could have an issue with a particular address and after discussion we For more news updates from your local area visit find several agencies have similar or connected issues www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/localpages such as repeat reports of anti-social behaviour. By Find crime statistics and advice at www.police.uk discussing things together, better solutions can often

Avon and Somerset Constabulary Working together to make the communities of Avon and Somerset be safe and feel safe www.avonandsomerset.police.uk